Yakari

Transform complex command-line interfaces into guided, interactive experiences. Yakari helps users build commands step by step, making CLI tools more accessible and user-friendly.

Getting started

Usage

usage: ykr [-h] [-d] [-n] command_name

positional arguments:
  command_name   Name of the command to execute

options:
  -h, --help     show this help message and exit
  -d, --dry-run  If toggled, Yakari only prints the command rather than running it.
  -n, --native   When toggled, run the command in the original shell instead of
                 within the Yakari TUI.

Try it out!

With uv:

uvx --from yakari ykr demo

will start a demo that showcases the different types or arguments and commands supported by Yakari. This demo only run echo commands so it's safe to use anywhere.

uvx --from yakari ykr git

will start a Terminal User Interface (TUI) with basic git features. The video below shows how to use this TUI to:

• list branches
• create and checkout a new demo branch
• add a file and create a commit
• check the git log to validate that the commit has been created
• delete the demo branch

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/5e1a5f59-d0e0-4e43-9737-302b99e62cfa

Play around with this in a git repo!

Basic Navigation

Yakari is an interactive command menu that makes it easy to run complex commands. Think of it as a command launcher where you type shortcuts instead of remembering full commands.

Start Typing

When you launch Yakari, you'll see a menu of available options. Every menu item has a shortcut (shown on the left). Type the shortcut to select it:

• Commands (things you can run)
• Arguments (options you can set)
• Submenus (more options inside)

Other important keyboard shortcuts let you interact with the TUI:

Key	Action
ctrl+q	Cancel/Exit
backspace	Erase/Go back
tab	Auto-complete
ctrl+r	Toggle results
ctrl+l	Clear results
ctrl+e	Toggle edit mode

Example: In the git branch menu, typing - highlights the -f and -t arguments, and dims other entries.

Working with Arguments

Arguments are options you can set. There are two modes for handling them:

Normal Mode (default):

• Selecting an argument toggles it on/off
• Great for quick switches like --verbose

Edit Mode (press ctrl+e to switch):

• Selecting an argument lets you edit its value
• Perfect for editing named argument with an existing value

(Optional) Installation

Yakari is published to PyPI:

# Using pip
pip install yakari

# Using uv
uv tool install yakari

Menus

A command menu is a TOML configuration file that defines a hierarchical interface for executing commands. It allows you to:

• Organize related commands into menus
• Define reusable arguments
• Create interactive prompts for command values

Install new menus by copying the corresponding TOML file into $HOME/.config/yakari/menus. If you're interested in creating your own menus, take a look at dedicated readme from yakari-menus.

[!TIP] Yakari comes with a few pre-defined menus that you can use directly via ykr <command-name> (e.g. ykr git).

Features

• Interactive command building
• Contextual help and descriptions
• Works alongside existing CLI tools
• Command history across executions
• Static and dynamic suggestions
• In-place command execution with streamed output and support for interactive commands
• Supported argument types:
  • Flag argument
  • Single-value argument
  • Multi-choice argument
  • Password argument
  • Multi-value argument

Roadmap

• Add argument types:
  • File argument
• Support environment variables

References

• Heavily inspired by transient.
• Powered by:
  • textual
  • pydantic

Why Yakari?

The name comes from a Swiss comic book character who can talk to animals. Similarly, this tool helps users communicate more naturally with command-line programs by turning intimidating command structures into guided menus.